Chapter 472: Requesting Backup
The split island of ice immediately threw the entire scene into chaotic disarray. The four members of Team 7 frantically scrambled to protect the production crew, ensuring everyone made it back onto the large ship safely, while Ryo scooped up Tsukika and returned via a swift flash of Body Flicker.
Once the confusion settled, Nadare Roga and Mizore Fuyuma were nowhere to be found.
The eccentric director kept shouting and gesturing nearby, declaring passionately: "A mysterious man suddenly appears, cleaves an entire ice island in two with a single slash, and rescues the princess from the Demon King's clutches! Oh, cool~!"
Kakashi walked over to Ryo with a thoroughly helpless expression: "Senior, this special effect of yours... allowed those two guys to slip away."
"Special effect?" Naruto muttered behind them, face full of confusion.
"Idiot! How could Kakashi-sensei possibly manage to split an entire ice island into two clean halves on his own?!" Sasuke countered.
"Eh? I knew Kakashi-sensei couldn't be that impressive! So it was actually the Great Ancestor's doing all along!" Naruto realized.
Kakashi: "..."
Ryo smiled as he set Tsukika down, lightly patting her tiny head: "Go keep filming. Learn a thing or two from that veteran actor playing the Demon King; look at his impeccable improvisation under pressure, you have to respect it!"
"Mmm, Great Ancestor!"
Ryo looked up to face Kakashi: "The Great Ancestor already stated from the beginning, I am only responsible for adding special effects."
"Then you..." Kakashi paused: "Are you saying Nadare Roga?!"
Ryo let out a soft chuckle: "That explosion just now was pure showmanship; the raw power wasn't actually that monumental. The ninja named Nadare Roga was merely faking his coma, using that fat man's body as cover to stealthily weave hand seals."
"...I was careless." Kakashi massaged his temples. How on earth could he have anticipated that Ryo would end up executing a flawless, seamless piece of coordination alongside Nadare Roga?
"Great Ancestor, even if he was faking a coma to weave seals, what could he possibly achieve against Naruto and me..." Sasuke chimed in.
"Ice Style: One-Horned White Whale Jutsu," Ryo interrupted smoothly. "That technique is highly unique, capable of coalescing a massive ice whale directly out of the ice island we were standing on. His active target wasn't you two, but 'Princess Gale'. Since Tsukika was standing right beside her, the immediate risk was far too high. Consequentially, the Great Ancestor could only add a grand special effect to bail you out."
This rapid stream of explanation left the three children and single adult entirely speechless, while Ryo mentally flashed a triumphant victory sign...
They didn't push further to ask why Ryo hadn't simply stepped forward to intercept the two fugitives. Resolving a commissioned mission using their own strength was a matter of pride for this ambitious trio.
While Team 7 was placated by Ryo's words, things over at the production crew weren't anywhere near as smooth.
Aside from the director, none of the crew members or actors were fools...
Subjected to a ninja 'ambush' while trying to shoot a movie, witnessing a battle of such 'ferocious' scale, and having a bizarre special effects artist added to the mix—it would be a miracle if they continued to remain silent. A barrage of arguments immediately erupted.
Ryo shrugged: "Kakashi, go offer them a thorough explanation. Keeping these ordinary civilians in the dark indefinitely isn't ideal. It is time to make the announcement!"
"Announcement?" The three students' spirits instantly surged.
Kakashi spoke helplessly: "Senior, please don't..."
"Brother Kakashi!" Right on cue, Koyuki Kazahana's voice echoed over.
Kakashi given a subtle pause. Pulling his face mask up a fraction, he turned and walked briskly toward her.
Ryo shook his head with a chuckle: "Ah, the youth!"
Once Kakashi, Koyuki Kazahana, and Sandayu finished laying out the unadorned truth of the situation, a heavy silence blanketed the large ship. The countenances of quite a few production crew members turned incredibly grim. As ordinary citizens, suddenly finding themselves dragged into a national coup—only an absolute idiot wouldn't look grim...
The director turned out to be that exact idiot.
"Cool~! Yukie... no! Koyuki Kazahana, you're actually an authentic princess?! Mmm... Cameraperson, delete every single piece of footage captured prior to that battle! I am going to write a brand-new script from scratch! Princess Koyuki, you remain the protagonist, but we will film your genuine, real-life history! Tsukika, you will play Princess Koyuki during her childhood!"
Ryo was startled upon hearing this: Eh? This script actually sounds quite reasonable, but isn't he essentially plagiarizing Kishimoto's script...
The crew members raised a wall of absolute opposition; no one desired to involve themselves in such a perilous affair. Ryo adjusted his collar, figuring it was about time for the Great Ancestor to flash a couple of calming special effects to put these commoners' hearts at ease...
Thud! Right at that moment, the director suddenly dropped to his knees, breaking into a massive, wailing sob: "If we fail to finish this movie, our entire production company will go completely bankrupt! Don't look at how wildly popular Princess Gale's Great Adventure appears to be; we spent a catastrophic amount of money on post-production special effects! Please, I beg everyone to help me!"
The production crew members stared at each other in absolute bewilderment.
Ryo brought his footsteps to a halt, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly. No wonder this director could choose to entirely ignore his 'terrifying' special effects artist behavior; it turned out he wasn't an absolute idiot after all...
After over an hour of noisy deliberation, the large ship formally restarted its engines, setting its coordinates for—the Land of Snow!
Simultaneously, inside the Land of Snow Daimyo Mansion.
Nadare Roga and Mizore Fuyuma arrived in front of the usurper Daimyo, Doto Kazahana, looking rather disheveled and battered.
"The operation ended in failure? Fubuki died out there too?" Doto Kazahana's face revealed zero trace of anger or joy. "Kakashi Hatake truly lives up to his reputation."
Nadare Roga and Mizore Fuyuma exchanged a look, their expressions deeply solemn. Fubuki Kakuyoku was an established Jonin, yet she was obliterated in a single fraction of a second...
"It isn't merely Kakashi Hatake; their squad seems to house another hidden powerhouse," Nadare Roga recalled the previous special effect explosion. "If we desire to eliminate Koyuki Kazahana and seize the Hexagon Crystal Necklace, I am afraid you will have to personally take action."
Doto Kazahana fell into a brief silence. Ever since he assumed the mantle of Daimyo, his individual capability—which originally sat infinitely close to an S-rank ninja—had largely withered away. He was thoroughly unwilling, and lacked the courage, to personally engage in combat. What if Kakashi cleanly halved him with a single blade strike...?
"Useless trash!" Spitting out a low curse, Doto Kazahana rose to pace toward the flank. Resting there was an exquisitely decorated birdcage, within which sat a grayish-black ninja bird.
Opening the cage doors, Doto Kazahana pulled a slip of paper from his sleeve and tied it securely to the bird's leg, declaring loudly: "The Land of Snow requests backup from the Akatsuki organization!"
The ninja bird blinked its eyes, remaining completely motionless.
Doto Kazahana: ???
A scam organization? They explicitly stated every minor nation would house a dedicated ninja bird, and we merely needed to request backup when facing a crisis...
Inside the Land of Rain, within a building complex adjacent to the Central High Tower, Ajisai was currently ticking off her fingers to count: "Little Five... no, Little Six..."
"Ajisai, have you failed to parse out exactly which ninja bird is actively resonating with you yet?"
Ajisai pouted her lips: "Lord Yahiko is truly something, forcing me to form a summoning contract with forty distinct ninja birds simultaneously. How on earth am I supposed to separate them cleanly? Ah, look at that, I have to recount all over again, it's all your fault!"
"Little One... Little Thirty-Three, it's this one!"
Fortunately, right before Doto Kazahana could slaughter the bird for dinner, Ajisai successfully summoned 'Little Thirty-Three' to her side.
"Umm... which country was Little Thirty-Three stationed in again?"
Roughly half an hour later, Yahiko finally received the official request for backup dispatched from the Land of Snow.
"Another instance of national internal strife? A niece trying to mount a coup?" A helpless look played across Yahiko's face. The Akatsuki organization systematically spent its days managing these tedious, messy affairs. "Mmm? Konoha ninjas are actively involved? Kakashi Hatake..."
"Konoha..." Yahiko let out a soft sigh, feeling a trace of a headache coming on. "They require deployment within a single day. Can I even fly over there in time?"
"Lord Yahiko, are you alright?" Ajisai asked softly.
"I'm fine, Ajisai." Yahiko offered a gentle, warm smile: "Go initiate contact with the Hidden Stone Village's permanent resident ninja, Deidara, and inquire exactly which nation he has flown off to for his permanent residency! Trouble him to make a swift trip over to the Land of Snow immediately; we will compensate him with excellent rewards!"
"Understood! Lord Yahiko!"
"Furthermore, instruct him that he merely needs to barricade the rebellion inside the Land of Snow. He absolutely must refrain from initiating a direct clash against the Konoha ninjas. I can smoothly arrive on location within three days!"
"Lord Yahiko, you intend to personally travel there?"
"Mmm, with Konoha ninjas actively involved, it wouldn't be proper for me to remain absent," Yahiko nodded. "Remember, you must explicitly enjoin Deidara to hold his hand!"
"Mmm!"
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